I plan on getting a MF system soon, but I need a new bag too. Any suggestions. I am looking at Think Tank bags. I looked at the 1500 series Pelican cases and feel that they are too small. Any others out there?

"Photography is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent moving furniture." Arnold Newman“Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” William Faulkner

Bags are like Tripods (and cameras). They are subjective. It depends what you want a bag FOR.

There is a huge difference between, Bag for the studio, vs bag for shooting out of the car vs Bag for that hiking trip to the Everest Base Camp. or back country skiing.

I personally use a Gura-Gear Kiboko for almost everything, especially long lens photography and anything with an SLR (either 35mm or MF SLR). The exception to this is Hiking for which I use an F-Stop Tilopa. That may change shortly with my Medium Format Technical Camera (Cambo WRS-AE) kit which dosn't fit the Kiboko in shooting configuration, so it is likely to be in the F-Stop permanently. (trying that out in an upcoming trip to Iceland)

What are you going to shoot with your MF gear ?

Regards

Mark

EDIT: My new F-Stop Tilopa arrived, and I can confirm it is the new go-to bag for the MF Technical setup, and the best camera backpack I have ever tried on.

Very hard to make a recommendation without knowing what type of medium format kit you need to haul around. If it's a MF DSLR then it's likely to be a different suggestion than that best for a technical camera's shape and layout.

I also like the Gura Gear Kiboku bag but only for DSLR outfits and lenses, although the backpack straps leave a lot to be desired if you intend to go far with it. For technical cameras with a digital back I much prefer my F-Stop Tilopa and/or Satori which are the most comfortable bags I've ever owned or used.

Hello All, thanks for the replies. I will be getting an Arca RM3Di. At first I will only have two lenses, but eventually would like to have 5 or 6 to carry around, so I would need room for those as well. Joe

"Photography is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent moving furniture." Arnold Newman“Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” William Faulkner

I use the F-stop satori, their largest bag. I usually carry the rm3di, IQ160, 43mm, 28mm, 60mm all with Arca mounts. With this you still have quite a lot of space left in the bag.

The Loka is the other more common bag they sell. Both will allow you to carry the rm3di and lenses, the satori will have more room for other gear.

This is a pack solution and not a hard shell like a pelican box. It's also not a waterproof system like the Lowe Pro solution with the t-zip. F-stop will be coming out with waterproof bag in the fall of 2013 that fits inside the main pack. I work in a lot of streams and need to cross quite often. When I need the security of a waterproof solution, I will move to the Lowe Pro Dryzone.

The only issue with the rm3di solution is carrying it with a lens and camera back attached. You have to lay it down to get it in most packs as the camera body it just a bit too tall to fit vertically.

NOT MF, have various pelcian and Pelica-clone as well as ThinkTank bags, but I have trended to use Porta Brace bags (sourced from B&H).

What I found wanting with hardcases is the lack of outside pockets for items that don't need to be waterproof or crush protected (cables, etc., ). These items end up consuming needed interior space require you to open teh entire case to get access to say a power cable, or grey card, etc.

On the flip side, soft bags are just that -- soft. What I like about Porta Brace is their rep within broadcast world, and their almost hybrid nature. Most have a padded rigid interior shell with adjustable dividers & velcro-friendly padded envelopes inside and exterior nylon shell with lots of pockets on outside for quick-access items that don't need hard-case protection. VERY, VERY well made, water and stain resistant. Highly recommended as an option.

For location shooting I used pelican 1550 cases for cameras and camera gear. One case is for MF, the other for 35mm. Lightware cases for mac Pro's and monitors, Pelican 1650 cases for Profoto packs and heads. My favorite soft bag is the Tenba Metropack P6 series. I don't think they make it anymore, but it has some great features: removeable pads on five sides so that you can have as little or as much protection as you need for a given situation; water proof; easy access zipper on the top of the bag; tons of waterproof pockets; and storage space for all your crap. I could fit an RZ, prism, four lenses, four backs, film. Or without film and film backs I could fit an Aptus 75 back. In short, it could fit more than I was willing to carry.